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Come Rendezvous with us! The
Fur Rendezvous is a
celebration of Alaska's fur trapping and trading heritage. When the celebration
first began in the 1930's it was a way for trappers and traders to meet and buy
and sell furs without a middle man. While that tradition continues with the
annual fur action, today the Fur Rondy provides Alaskans relief from the winter
doldrums with a carnival, parade, ice sculpting competition, snowshoe baseball
and lots more.
Alaska's fur trade isn't what it was a generation or two
ago, but Fur Rondy provides watchers with an opportunity to see folks who
"shur nuff" looked like old-time trappers.
This year's carnival runs from February 18th to March 6th. Check out more
information about carnival events at the official website at
www.furrondy.net.
For back to back excitement, this carnival ends with the official start of
the world famous Iditarod Sled Dog race. The race starts in Anchorage Saturday
March 5th, with a restart in Wasilla on Sunday March 6th.
The Iditarod started three-quarters of a century ago with a serum run from
Anchorage to the coastal community of Nome in Northwest Alaska.
The many entries into the Snow Sculpting competition range
from ordinary to ethereal. The majority of the entries, however, are of
Alaskan animals, as this beautiful portrait of a walrus portrays.
There were no roads then between the two communities more than 1,000 miles
apart, and there are none today. A train took the serum as far as Nenana. It was
carried for the last 674 miles by dogsled. A relay of 20 mushers responded to
the medical emergency -- a diphtheria epidemic. Today, teams of 12-16 dogs and
their musher traverse 1150 miles of rough terrain in 12-17 days in what has been
called "The Last Great Race on Earth". To read more, and to checkout other
interesting events surrounding the race, check out the official website at
www.idtarod.com. In honor of these great
events, the Puffin Inn is
offering special rates February 18 -March 31, 2005.
$49.99* Single/Double
$109.99* Suite * Plus 8% hotel tax. Price subject
to availability. Call for reservation at
1.800.478.3346 | 